The Drums Are Back
by EroseN
Summary: Alt. ending. The master regenerates after third season finale. Can the doctor save him, or will he fall back to the madness of the drums?


**Set after third season finale, alternate ending... well, dear readers, this is my first ever doctor who fic... So, please read, enjoy, and review! Thanks! **

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"Please, you've got to, just regenerate!" I beg, holding my oldest friend in my arms, pressing him to my body, slowly beginning to feel the strength leaving his body as the red stains the front of his white dress shirt. The Master. Koschei. Soon he would be out of my life forever. Is that a good thing? Part of me says that would make things a whole lot simpler, but that's never been my style. He grins up at me, and even though his face is different, I recognize that careless smile from the days of our childhood, before the madness came, before I... Ran away... He says something else, but I'm not listening as I scoop up his body and run, cradling him in my arms, to the TARDIS where I shove us through the doors and lock them. I hear my friends pounding on the doors, but the sound barely registers in my head. I can't carry him any further as I collapse onto the floor near the main console.

"What do you... Think you're... Doing?" He pants. His breath is heavy and his eyes are unfocused. I ignore his question and kneel next to him, placing my hands on his chest.

"If you won't regenerate yourself, I'll help you." I begin to focus my energy on him and soon a golden light fills the room, emanating from my hands.

"No, stop it!" He shouts at me. It's working as I see his skin begin to get its color back.  
"You'll waste all your remaining regenerations, you idiot!" He pushes my hands away and before I can touch him again, he's bursting with a bright golden light. I shield my eyes. That he is allowing me to be in his presence while he undergoes such a change is a deep sign of trust. Or, more likely in this case, it is a way to say piss off. Either way, it fills me with such extreme happiness that my eyes once again fill with tears, though of a different nature, a happier nature. When I look back to him, he's sitting up and looking at his hands.

"I swear, if I am short again, I am going to murder someone." All traces of seriousness gone, all signs of madness vanished, he's sitting there as if nothing's happened.  
"Well, doctor, what's the verdict?" He asks, looking over at me. "Good? Bad?" I'm struck speechless at his nonchalant attitude. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. He's always been this way when he regenerated. He completely separates himself from his past deeds. Unless, of course, they helped him in anyway.

"Doctor?! Let us in!" Jack's obsessive pounding finally permeates my haze of surprise and I scramble to my feet.

"I'm fine, just give me a minute." I call, glad that my voice sounds steady.  
Turning to the master, I quietly say, "I suggest you find your way to one of the rooms in the back for a bit. They won't be very happy to know you're alive." He nods, understanding his best chance for survival, now that he's decided to live, is to listen to what I have to say. He stands up and stretches briefly before sauntering back up the stairs and into the depths of my TARDIS. I carefully unlock the doors once I'm sure he's safely hidden.

"Doctor! We thought you were going to leave..." Jack and Martha both mob me and suddenly I'm stuck between two very emotional humans, both fighting over who gets to hug me first.

"I would never leave you." I say fiercely. "Now, let's get this all cleaned up!" I clap my hands and walk away from the two.

Hours later, we have all the people on the aircraft back on earth. It turns out time reverted back to before the paradox, so no harm done. Martha and I say our goodbyes to Jack, and, who would have guessed it, turns out he's the face of bo. You would think he'd be a little less cryptic in his old age...

Next stop is Martha's house. Of course, I know she won't be coming with me. I can read it in her face when she comes back in the TARDIS. And I'm okay with it. She too says goodbye to me. Looks like everyone is leaving me. She hands me her mobile and walks out the door. It shuts firmly with a click and I sink into the chair. I've almost forgotten my new passenger in my sadness, until I hear a loud crashing noise coming from the top of the stairs.

"Damn long legs..." I hear him mutter. I look up and see a new man.

"I see you found the wardrobe room." I smile when the master walks in wearing black dress pants and a dark blue dress shirt.

"Yes, Narnia was lovely, thank you." He quips. I shake my head. Some earth reference I assume. "Though I have to admit, I look pretty good! I haven't had hair this dark since we were teenagers though..." He runs a hand through dark curly hair springing out all over his head, giving him a slightly mad look. "In fact," he starts, jumping down the staircase and landing in front of me, "I look remarkably similar to how I was when I was a teenager, don't you agree?" I nod. He's right. The hair is the same nearly black color, with pale skin and dark blue eyes. "So, doctor, am I your little secret now?" He sits down next to me and absentmindedly throws and arm around my shoulder like he used to when we were kids.

"How are you feeling?" Is my reply. I don't really feel like dealing with his antics right now.

"Marvelous. Thanks for asking, hon." He stands up again. "I'm bored. Let's go somewhere." He smiles recklessly as he looks at the console and I can't help the beginning of a smile on my face as well.

"Where to?" I ask gleefully.

"Anywhere!" He shouts back. Excellent. Finally someone who understands the beauty of having freedom to go anywhere, anytime. I pull some levers, and, for the first time in a long while, there's someone to help me. We're both laughing madly as the TARDIS jerks us around, finally coming to a screeching stop, throwing both of us to the ground in a jumbled heap of limbs. I stand up and dust my hands off. Without looking back at him, I run to the door and look outside.

"Come see where we've landed! Looks like one of the emerald pine forests of Rouljn..." I turn back excitedly to see where Koschei has gotten off to, and my heart sinks. He's still sitting where I left him, but he has his hands clapped to his ears, eyes firmly shut tight.

"Koschei?" I ask, walking back towards him and crouch next to him.

"Don't call me that." He hisses. I put a concerned hand on his shoulder, but he flinches with my touch, so I leave him alone.

"What's wrong?" I try again, this time omitting his childhood name.

"The drums, doctor... They're back." He looks up at me with crazed eyes. I can feel my hearts break a little when he says this. I knew it had to be too good to be true. I thought I could be happy, travel the universe with my best friend. Of course not. Because that would be too easy.

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**What do you all think? I dunno, it seems a littlle less amazing now that I'm reading it in the daylight... Please review!**


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